Why are math word problems so difficult for so many of our students? That IS the question!

WORD PROBLEMS REQUIRE A NUMBER OF CRITICAL LITERACY AND EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONING SKILLS

(which we talk about often!)

So let’s start by thinking through all the skills students need in order to solve math problems effectively.

Have you ever felt dismissed, talked over, or doubted in your intervention? When I walked out of the school after my first IEP meeting, I had this awful feeling of defeat knowing that I wasn’t taken seriously, but worse, I wasn’t able to advocate for my student they way I wanted to and knew I could. Keep reading to learn about the key to advocating for your students in IEP meetings.

We wanted to take this conversation a step further and dig into some common co-occurring struggles we see in our students with dyslexia. Specifically language, attention, mathematics, and social-emotional difficulties.

So let’s dive in!

Many students struggle to learn how to read effectively or efficiently.

RESEARCH INDICATES THAT THERE ARE THREE DIFFERENT TYPES OF READING DISABILITIES.

These three types of disabilities relate to (if you know us…you’re probably guessing it right now!!!)

YEP…..

The Literacy Processing Triangle

Today we wanted to take a little time to discuss how to interpret evaluation results, specifically how to determine whether a students standardized, norm-referenced test scores fall within the average range.

When we look at interpreting evaluation results, there are a number of things we need to consider but the first thing we absolutely must consider is whether scores are falling into an expected area or not. This requires that we go back to our statistics class in understanding the standard bell curve.

When students are struggling - it’s hard to know where to start and what the most important steps are in providing support to get them to where they need to be.

After working with hundreds of students, and evaluating thousands of students, we’ve realized that the most important thing that parents and educators can do to support struggling students actually has nothing to do with intervention or tutoring, accommodations, modifications, IEP or 504 Plans…

Dyscalculia (dis-cal-Q-lee-uh) is another term that is used synonymously with Specific Mathematics Disorder.

Basically, it can be used to describe a student or adult who struggles with mathematic concepts and their foundational constructs. When we consider dyscalculia, we have to think about all the requirements of mathematics. Mathematics requires an incredibly complex set of skills that require multiple connections in the brain to come together quickly.

Dysgraphia is another term that is used synonymously with Disorder of Written Expression.

Basically, it can be used to describe a student or adult who struggles producing written content for a number of specific reasons.

When we consider dysgraphia, we have to think about all the requirements of writing. Writing is an incredibly complex task that requires multiple connections in the brain to come together quickly.

So often we hear from frustrated parents that they are receiving a run-around from their school. As a parent, when our child is struggling we want answers.

However, it can be complicated and sometimes it feels like you’re being told different things by different people!

So if you have or know of a child who is struggling academically - hopefully they’ve been able to move through the first step of our 3 Step Assess - Design - Implement process.

Once a student has been assessed, we can begin to design an appropriate plan.

In order to close the gap, we need to have appropriate goals based on individual student needs. As part of an IEP goals are set in specific areas. If a student is struggling in a specific area (e.g., language skills, motor ability, reading, writing, math, etc) they should receive goals in those specific areas.

As you know, we are obsessed with helping students reach their highest potential. In order to do this you must follow the ASSESS -> DESIGN -> IMPLEMENT framework. First, we must assess students with a combination of formal and informal assessment measures. Then we must design an appropriate plan and finally, we must implement the plan at the highest level.

The process of diagnosing dyslexia can often feel like this huge mysterious task! It is truly this multiple step challenge for parents, educators, medical professionals, and other professionals working with struggling students. Let’s break this down.

This week we are so excited to share information on identifying student challenges.

One of the most challenging aspects of helping a struggling reader is understanding specifically where and why they are struggling.

Once we can understand the specific areas in which a student is breaking down and/or the cause of the breakdown we can begin providing targeted instruction and intervention.

In honor of dyslexia awareness month, we wanted to take this opportunity to dispel some common myths about dyslexia and to provide further information to go check out if you’re worried your child or one of your students may have dyslexia.

Let’s dive right in…

Today we wanted to have a little real talk with all of you. We wanted to address three common myths we keep hearing about research-based reading intervention.

Happy Friday, Everyone! We absolutely can not believe that October is already over. Holy moly! With October coming to a close, that means we are also finishing up with Dyslexia Awareness month. Our team was lucky enough to get to travel to the International Dyslexia Association’s National Conference last week - which was AMAZING.

My name is Mackenzie, and I am dyslexic.

Some of my earliest memories of school are feelings of frustration, confusion, sadness, and feeling lonely. Another memory that still makes my stomach hurt today is trying to memorize math facts. I have a great memory for some things; song lyrics, things people say, and pictures. But, remembering letters and numbers is a totally different story.

One of the most challenging things about walking into an IEP meeting for both parents and educators is that there are so many things you need to be considering.

This Week:

We are so excited to share with you this printable that we have that helps us to organize IEP Services.

As a parent, one of the most important things you need to do if your child is receiving support services from the school is to make sure you are organizing all of that paperwork! Whenever you have formal documentation it can be incredibly valuable long-term for your child.

For example, it can help you qualify your child for ACT/SAT accommodations or college supports if that is the direction they want to go. Alternatively, it can help your child qualify for supports in their job or career later on.